Bad wheel alignment - is it a fault on a used car?

[thelawnet]

I bought a Toyota approved used Lexus for £13,000. The car is pulling quite strongly to the left, I guess it needs wheel alignment/tracking done.

The Toyota used car standard says

http://usedcars.toyota.co.uk/FivePlusBenefitsSub.a...

"Steering, brakes and suspension must be in a condition representing good maintenance by previous owners."

I would say it's not good maintenance to have the car heading into the ditch? The MOT they did for me says 'O/S/F tyre wearing slightly on inner edge', which I guess is caused by that.

Should I ask them to pay for the tracking to be fixed?

[aka_kerrly]

Slight over reaction?
Just get the tracking done, it only takes a degree or so to make the steering feel off centre and the tyres to wear unevenly.

[brillomaster]

pulling strongly to the left is hardly in reasonable condition. if you bought a car new and it was pulling to the left, you'd be straight back to the dealer.

you just paid £13k for a toyota approved car - id definitely take it back and ask for an alignment.

[kambites]

I think the dealer should sort it out regardless of the "approved used" thing. If the car doesn't go in a straight line due to a fault (even if it's just a setting) which was present at the time the car was sold, it's not fit for purpose. Of course proving it was like that when you bought it would be tricky if they decided to be difficult.

[Lloyd71]

I bought a used Honda for £4,000 and on the way home it started wobbling under acceleration. I rang the dealer up straight away and they suggested it was the balancing, so I took it to the nearest Honda garage and it ended up being a major drivetrain part that cost £400+ to fix. The garage covered the bill for me, but had I just accepted it was the balancing I'd have been fuming! It's always worth notifying the dealer of the issue in case it turns out to be something bigger.

[JZZ30]

As an approved used car I'd be taking it back to ask them to sort it out, I wouldn't make that big a deal if they stated grumbling about it though. It's easily knocked out by potholes etc.
Would just make me think twice about giving them more business in future.

[clarkey]

How long have you had it for? Did it pull to the left on the test drive and as soon as you bought it? If not,it must have been caused by something you've done, not a fault that was present at the time of sale. Clearly this is more likely if you've had it 3 month rather than 3 hours!!

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

aka_kerrly said:

Slight over reaction?
Just get the tracking done, it only takes a degree or so to make the steering feel off centre and the tyres to wear unevenly.

Is this honestly what you would do after spending £13k on an approved used vehicle?
It obviously needs to go back to the garage...not sure why the op is even asking really.

[V8forweekends]

JZZ30 said:

It's easily knocked out by potholes etc.

Is this actually true? In the olden days where cars had inner and outer track rods and hollow threaded steel sleeve clamping them together I guess it could "jump" a thread or two if hit really really hard, but are components on modern cars really so piss weak that a pothole can alter the steering geometry?

[liner33]

Its not a GS450H is it as I've heard they have problems related to the suspension?

[lbc]

I doubt tracking would cause a car to pull to one side or the other unless miles out, which is unlikely unless the car has badly potholed or hit a curb.

Personally I would avoid any used car that has new tyres fitted or uneven wear, as it smells of suspension problems.

[Crafty_]

Did you not notice the pull on the test drive ?
Has it done it from the moment you picked it up ?
How long has the car been in your possession ?

[Jimmyarm]

lbc said:

I doubt tracking would cause a car to pull to one side or the other unless miles out, which is unlikely unless the car has badly potholed or hit a curb.

Personally I would avoid any used car that has new tyres fitted or uneven wear, as it smells of suspension problems.

I think perhaps, you should not give advice on matters you clearly have no undetstanding of.

You really wouldn't buy a used car with brand new tyres on it ?

[thelawnet]

Crafty_ said:

Did you not notice the pull on the test drive ?

I test drove the car on Saturday. I didn't notice it on the test drive, which was about two miles with wife + kids + salesman in the car, on quiet roads. It has since been MOTed off-site.

Crafty_ said:

Has it done it from the moment you picked it up ?

Yes I picked it up today and it was noticeable as I started heading into traffic.

Crafty_ said:

How long has the car been in your possession ?

Picked it up about 11:30am today.

Edited by thelawnet on Thursday 30th October 19:49

[thelawnet]

brillomaster said:

you just paid £13k for a toyota approved car - id definitely take it back and ask for an alignment.

I'd prefer to just take it to the local tyre/wheel place tbh, and send them the bill. But I will contact the dealer first in the morning. I called the tyre place earlier, they said the price depends on whether they can adjust the camber, it could be between £40 minimum and £120 maximum, depending on the adjustments made.

[thelawnet]

lbc said:

I doubt tracking would cause a car to pull to one side or the other unless miles out, which is unlikely unless the car has badly potholed or hit a curb.

Personally I would avoid any used car that has new tyres fitted or uneven wear, as it smells of suspension problems.

There's an invoice from Lexus dated 15th April 2013, as follows:

Front Susp Arms Bushes Worn/crack upper arm £1669.94
Front Susp Arms Bushes Worn/crack lower arm £1345.94
4 wheel alignment £162
Replaced front upper suspension arms due to bushes split.

Done under warranty, so nil paid.

Mileage was 64,493, now is 71,557

[SpeckledJim]

thelawnet said:

brillomaster said:

you just paid £13k for a toyota approved car - id definitely take it back and ask for an alignment.

I'd prefer to just take it to the local tyre/wheel place tbh, and send them the bill. But I will contact the dealer first in the morning. I called the tyre place earlier, they said the price depends on whether they can adjust the camber, it could be between £40 minimum and £120 maximum, depending on the adjustments made.

Yes! Do that!

"Hello, Toyota? What's your postcode? I have a bill to send you for a problem I've had fixed on my car. Yes, it was enterprising of me, wasn't it. You're welcome, cheerio."

[Fox-]

I've had to get the alignment done on every Approved Used Car I've ever bought - it's good practice to get it checked annually anyway and it's never, ever, ever, ever checked by dealers before they sell the cars, so I just factor it into the price.

[GrizzlyBear]

thelawnet said:

I bought a Toyota approved used Lexus for £13,000. The car is pulling quite strongly to the left, I guess it needs wheel alignment/tracking done.

The Toyota used car standard says

http://usedcars.toyota.co.uk/FivePlusBenefitsSub.a...

"Steering, brakes and suspension must be in a condition representing good maintenance by previous owners."

I would say it's not good maintenance to have the car heading into the ditch? The MOT they did for me says 'O/S/F tyre wearing slightly on inner edge', which I guess is caused by that.

Should I ask them to pay for the tracking to be fixed?

On a manufacturer approved car I would expect the tracking to be correct, to be honest reading that list I think "approved" is not such a high standard as I expected.

[itcaptainslow]

OP-have you actually spoken to the dealer about it? You may be shocked to actually receive a response of "Apologies Sir, pop it down and we'll get it on our geo machine and sort it for you at no cost."

However, you won't receive this response if you don't give them the chance to offer it...